A Matter of Faith
by UnstoppableForce
Summary: Tony's father wants to know why Tony didn't call him when he had the plague. Gen


_Disclaimer: No, I don't own NCIS._

_Gen fic this time guys! Spoilers for SWAK, Twilight and Flesh and Blood._

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"You never told me you had the plague."

Tony looked up at his father, shrugging his shoulders before turning his head back to gaze across the river. His crossed arms rested on the railings, his body leaning forwards at a near 45 degree angle.

"I was kinda distracted, with my body attempting to forcibly eject my lungs and all," he said dryly.

"You still could have called me, told me. When you were feeling a little better, maybe?" DiNozzo Senior asked.

"We lost Kate the day after I went back to work Dad. I was a little busy helping Gibbs catch the bastard that killed her and-" Tony paused for a second. "Would it really have made any difference if I'd told you? In case you've forgotten we weren't exactly on great terms back then, our conversations tended to consist of you talking about your latest business deal. If I started talking about anything other than that you tended to find an excuse to get off the phone." Tony said, without looking away from the river.

"I would have come to see you, you know that." Senior said. Tony lifted his head, looking at his father.

"No, you wouldn't. You would have had some tricky business deal going that you couldn't get out of and that would have been the end of it."

"I would have come, Anthony. My only son in hospital, fighting for his life? I can't believe you think I wouldn't have made the effort to get here. How could you think that, Tony?" Senior said, hurt tainting his voice. Tony sighed.

"Okay, maybe you would have turned up. But, like I said, I wasn't exactly thinking about that. Also, your previous track record concerning me and injuries doesn't hold much in your favour. It wasn't the first time I'd been in hospital with something life threatening, it wasn't the last and I can pretty much guarantee it'll happen again in future. Comes as part of the job, you know that." Tony spoke softly, reminded of the time he'd spent in hospital after saving Gibbs and Maddie from the car, having ended up with pneumonia. Gibbs had reamed him out over that once Tony was able to string a sentence together without coughing, but like he'd said then, he didn't regret what he'd done and he'd do it again if he had to. The look on Gibbs' face after Tony had finished quietly rasping that sentence through dry, cracked lips was something Tony didn't think he'd ever forget. Pure pride, tinged with the sadness Gibbs had been unable to hide.

"I'm still your father."

"I had a fifteen percent chance of survival. You know that?" Tony said, choosing to ignore what Senior had just said. "I don't think I would have lived if it wasn't for Gibbs." Tony murmured. Senior raised his eyebrows.

"Now come on Junior, the man may be many things if I listen to what Miss Scuito tells me but I highly doubt he had anything to do with you surviving the pneumonic plague." He said incredulously.

"He ordered me not to die." Tony whispered, so quietly Senior almost didn't hear him. He opened his mouth to comment on that but Tony beat him to it.

"I don't remember much from after the plague really started to take hold on me, it's mostly a blur but I remember Gibbs. I remember him giving me my cell phone, though why he did that I really don't know cause it wasn't like I could use it, but Gibbs does do some strange things sometimes so I'm not going to question it too much, and I remember him tapping me on the top of the head and telling me that I wouldn't die, and I believed him." Tony said, his eyes turning back towards the river, as if to end the conversation but Senior had other ideas.

"You have that much faith in him? So much faith that if he tells you you won't die, you believe him?" He said in disbelief.

"It's not that. I do have complete faith in him but it wasn't that that gave me the strength. It was his faith in me. No-one's ever had that much faith in me before, hell, no-one's ever had faith in me before. For him to believe that I could pull myself through that... I couldn't let him down." Tony trailed off, standing up straight and nodding slightly at his father before making his way back towards the NCIS building.

Senior watched him go, wondering if he could at least attempt to make amends. _Believe in him. Tell him you love him. When was the last time you did that?_

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"He told me he loved me."

Gibbs looked up from the magazine he was reading. Tony was sprawled across the couch, Gibbs having been relegated to the armchair. He should really have minded, and if it had been anyone other than Tony he probably would have minded but as he'd told the younger man before, it was as much his house as it was Gibbs', and considering Tony spent more nights sleeping in the guest room than at his own apartment, it was rapidly becoming more and more true. Not that Gibbs called it a

guest room anymore. It was Tony's room now.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Stood there like a dumb idiot, wondering if there was a catch?" Tony said. "I was speechless, Gibbs. I honestly didn't know what to say to him after that."

"You'd have figured it out eventually. He's making an effort; give him a chance."

Tony thought for a moment, as if weighing up the risk.

"Yeah. Maybe I will." Tony said. Gibbs smiled, going back to his magazine.

_-Finis-_

_Hope you guys enjoyed it! Reviews are much appreciated, thanks. :)_


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